by Lou Collinsin NewsComments Off on After publishing secret spy docs, German news site investigated for treason

A well-known German political and tech news website has received (English translation here) a nearly unprecedented letter from the German Federal Public Prosecutor, saying that two of the site’s top editors are being investigated for treason after having published secret government documents earlier this year.

“We leaked some internal documents of the secret service of Germany in the spring, documenting that they are building up a mass surveillance on social networks with lots of new jobs and new capabilities,” Beckedahl added. “And this wasn’t in public and there wasn’t a debate, two years after Snowden, whether to have more control of secret services.”

by Lou Collinsin NewsComments Off on A judge took pity on the paedophile who abused me as a child, so he let him walk free

Custodial sentences for child abuse should be mandatory. Personal bias should not be able to take the full role in sentencing for these sorts of crimes

We live in a culture that has come to accept rape and even child molestation as a backdrop to our existence; a culture that excuses the behaviour of abusers while shifting blame onto the victim. A judge may infer that a victim who had consumed a few drinks prior to their rape had in fact contributed to the assault that had been inflicted upon them. Perversely, as in my case, a judge may alleviate blame from a man who has molested a child because he’d decided to have a few pints down the pub beforehand. I would wager strongly that if my judge was overpowered by a man far larger than him on his way home tonight, and was physically forced to engage in even one of the sexual acts I was as a child, that his attacker would be facing a custodial sentence. The sexual abuse of a young girl however may not warrant the same reaction because it has become a readily accepted narrative.

When personal bias can play a role in the sentencing of such a serious and potentially life-altering crime, justice will not always be served. Judges have shown sympathy towards paedophiles before.

Those visiting the country so far this year (2014) included 11.38 million from EU countries, 1.1 million from the rest of Europe, 1.57 million from North America and 2.28 million from the rest of the world.

Looks like any excuse to mobilise the military ?

Are you affected by the Calais crisis? Share your experiences – via the guardian

We would like to hear from people who are affected by the crisis……a migrant surviving in a camp in Calais – or endeavouring to make the perilous journey to the UK………….